spontaneous birthings
head fluff when illuminated can reveal some very special thingsArchive for meditation
energy shooter
Some of the greatest life lessons I’ve learned from my instructors at Yong Studios where I practice TKD. I don’t know how many times I’ve heard precious bits of advice about the art of TKD that so easily carries over to the art of living – about listening, about patience, about determination, about inner balance, and meeting struggle with acceptance and flexibility rather than stiffness and aggression.
A recent valuable quote was something about how your energy travels through your eyes. So wherever your eyes connect – be it an object, a person, whatever – is where your energy shoots out from the core of your being.
I’ve been conscious of this since I heard it last week. It makes me realize how important it is to be present, to be aware of each moment in your life, to spare your energy from being wasted (by focusing and dwelling on negative things) and instead, let it embrace someone you love, a memory that makes you smile, linger through a song that you can’t tire of listening – to melt into that positivity and simply be an expression of all that is beautiful in you and the world you see.
taste memory
I can’t recall the name of the somatic condition by which some people experience senses as complex and linked happenings, etching into one’s own history as a unique and powerful way of remembering. What the heck am I talking about? you ask.
Have you ever smelled something and that made you taste something without having anything in your mouth? (Lemons and oranges do not count.) What I’m talking about is more than taste memory, the ability of food and mealtimes to conjure up forgotten moments delighting the experiencer with a glimpse of the past.
Some people see colors when they hear a cello overture. Some see a bright blue flash before their eyes when biting into an avocado. (Bonus points to whomever knows what I’m talking about and gives me the name!)
I call it a somatic condition because people who have the ability to cross-link senses must have a heightened sense (excuse the pun) of awareness. Imagine what life must be like when you see yellow when you hear laughter or taste soy sauce whenever you feel thick lace.
In a way, it’s like meditation, experiencing the body in its wholeness. It’s kind of like taste memory, but more like being “present” and in the moment, which ultimately can be stored as memory fodder for later on in life.
By the way, the soy sauce and lace scenario is offered by yours truly. I was 8? 9? when I discovered it. I was dusting the china cabinet and moved the lace off it. When I rubbed my fingers against the firm material (it has to be thick and firm lace for this to happen), I can taste soy sauce, the essence and smell of the dark soy and salt sitting in the back of my throat. And though it brings no specific memories to mind, I wonder what sort of past evokes this rare experience.
step back
Taking a step back, for whatever the reason, is usually triggered by a specific event or dialogue, something that has paved the way for contemplation. Has something ever happened to you when you thought incredulously, “This is my life. This is me living my life!”?
We go throughout our day, fulfilling daily tasks, be it work or taking care of children or offering a service of some kind to someone , and all the while we are numb to the minute, detailed moments of each day. This is why meditation and appreciating each second of each day, no matter how sad or awful you feel, is important. It helps us be present in our own lives.
I admit I have been a robot these past several months. I have adopted a routine that has worked for me and that was necessary in order to finish another semester at JHU, maintain my TKD training, and also have some fun. But some days when I’ve felt stressed at work or stressed to get an assignment completed, I let all the moments blur into one and wanted the week, or month, to end. I had forgotten about each moment of each day – until the “ding-ding!” moment happened.
Yong Studios, where I practice TKD, is having an essay contest on “How Tae Kwon Do Has Changed Me.” Being the writer that I am, I participated. It was then that I reflected back on my life and how I’ve changed during the past couple of years. I saw that I live a very good life, a happy and comfortable one. I am without need of material things. I am nourished physically and try to be nourished mentally and spiritually. I am often in good spirits. It was a surprise to realize that “this is me living my life.”
I remember the poetry I wrote when I was younger. The running theme was wanting to be satisfied and fearing that I would always want something I could not have, something as big as love or as little as money – it did not matter which. But, now, I am content and my former fears dissolved.
Yes, this is me living my life. And I can only hope that I’ll be present in each moment, so as not to miss a second of it.
